Washington, Jun 1:An Indian-origin man was killed in a helicopter crash in Georgia, United States, just hours after saying “I do”. Twenty-six-year-old Dave Fiji, a Delta Air Lines pilot whose family traces its roots to Kerala, was on his way to his honeymoon with his bride when the Robinson R66 flying them crashed near their Dawsonville wedding venue, according to media reports.
The chopper pilot, whose name has not been released by authorities yet, was also killed in the crash, according to a report by Atlanta News First.
Dave Fiji’s bride, Jessni, a nurse by profession, survived the crash and is recovering at a metro Atlanta hospital, the report said.
The Last Happy Hours
“My son was so happy,” George Fiji, Dave’s father, told Atlanta News First.
According to his father, Dave married Jessni on Friday, whom he met at New Testament Church a decade ago. Around 400 guests attended the couple’s wedding at The Revere in Dawsonville.
After their wedding reception, the newlyweds boarded a Robinson R66 helicopter bound for DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Georgia’s second-busiest airport. The flight was reportedly a special sendoff for the couple before they spent the night at a downtown Atlanta hotel.
The helicopter never reached its destination and crashed in a remote wooded area of Dawson County near Mount Vernon Drive, not very far from the wedding venue.
Grieving Widow
George Fiji said it took a while for authorities to locate the helicopter after the crash. During this time, Jessni, who suffered cuts and bruises, reportedly remained trapped in the wreckage for nearly six hours before rescuers found her.
“She said when she woke up she saw my son Dave resting on her bosom. She saw blood on him, and by then his body was completely cold. She’s a nurse, so she knew he was gone,” George Fiji said.
“She’s devastated, but she’s recovering,” he added
Dave’s Flying Concerns
According to his father, Dave, a first officer for Delta Air Lines, had concerns about the weather before the takeoff.
“Since my son was a pilot, he told the pilot that there is zero visibility, and when there is zero visibility like this, we never fly,” George Fiji said.
But the Robinson R66 pilot reportedly told him that they would fly at a higher altitude.
The National Transportation Safety Board has started an investigation into the crash and has not yet determined what caused the helicopter to go down.
